Jobless rate down in Adams County

RITZVILLE — Unemployment in Adams County dropped between February 2020 and February 2021, and increased slightly between January and February 2021.

Unemployment was 6.8% in February 2021 compared to 7.7% in February 2020. Adams County unemployment in January 2021 was 6.7%.

Don Meseck, regional labor economist for the Washington Department of Employment Security, said Adams County unemployment increased when 2020 is measured against 2019.

“However, year over year, the number of total nonfarm jobs in Adams County has stabilized or increased during the past four months, November 2020 to February 2021,” Meseck said.

Adams County gained 30 jobs from February 2020 to February 2021.

“Adams County’s labor force has expanded in each of the last three months, December 2020 through February 2021,” Meseck said.

While the number of unemployed increased slightly, when measured year over year, that was offset by a more substantial increase in the number of people in the workforce, he said.

“Year over year, monthly nonfarm job loss rates (in Adams County) have been less severe than (job) loss rates statewide since COVID-19 related layoffs began in April 2020,” Meseck said.

The county’s transportation and warehousing sector continues to be strong, growing each month from December 2020 to February 2021, and growing 7.5% when measured year over year.

“It is likely that much of this upturn is due to hiring at agriculture-related trucking, warehousing and storage firms,” Meseck said.

The leisure and hospitality industry, hard hit statewide by the coronavirus pandemic, has stabilized or added jobs in Adams County, when measured year over year. Employment in that sector has stabilized or grown from October 2020 to February 2021.

“This February it was estimated there were 430 leisure and hospitality jobs countywide, up from 400 in February 2020,” Meseck wrote.

That bucks the statewide trend. Statewide the leisure and hospitality sector has been losing jobs, year over year, from March 2020 to February 2021.

The largest job losses in Adams County, year over year, were in the government sector, which includes public schools. Local government accounts for 90% of the government jobs in Adams County, Meseck said, and many of those jobs are in schools.

The government sector lost 50 jobs between February 2020 and February 2021.

“Government employment in Adams County retrenched from May 2020 to February 2021,” Meseck said.